5. Steve Prefontaine

Prefontaine was one of the best distance runners in the American sports history and he had the confidence to go with it.

Although he wasn't a professional athlete very long, Prefontaine was able to pick up a fourth place finish in the 5,000 meters at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Prefontaine passed away at the very young age of 24 in 1975 in a car accident, and after his death there is little doubt that he would have won several Olympic medals in the 5,000 meters, which still has never been done before by an American runner.